Electronic photographing device for panoramic photographing and editing

ABSTRACT

According to this invention, an electronic photographing device in which image information corresponding to one set of images photographed by panoramic photographing can be recorded on a recording medium includes: a rotation direction setting device for setting information corresponding to a rotating direction panoramic of the electronic photographing device in the panorama photographing; a rotating direction recording device for recording information corresponding to the rotation direction set by the rotation direction setting device on the recording medium; a control device for controlling an arrangement of the set of panoramic images on the basis of the information corresponding to the rotation direction recorded on the recording medium; a display device for displaying editing information for performing predetermined image editing to the panoramic images arranged by the control device; and a control device for performing a predetermined editing operation on the basis of the editing information displayed on the display device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electronic photographing devicecapable of panorama photographing.

2. Related Art Statement

Conventionally, a photographing device capable of panorama photographinghas been proposed. However, when the image data corresponding to apredetermined frame of a panoramic image photographed by the panoramaphotographing is erased, or when a protect code for inhibiting awrite/read operation is recorded on the image data, an external,specially designed large-scale editing device is required.

When the image data corresponding to the panoramic image photographed inthe panoramic mode is stored in an external memory device, the followingcumbersome operation is required. That is, a recording medium forrecording the image data must be temporarily unloaded from the cameraand loaded on the external memory device to store the image data in theexternal memory device.

Additionally, a printer cannot be directly operated by a camera used inpanoramic photographing to read predetermined panorama image datarecorded on the recording medium of the camera to print the image.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a compact and inexpensive electronicphotographing device which can be used in panoramic photographing,wherein predetermined image editing such as erasing can be easilyperformed to a panoramic image recorded on a recording medium of thecamera.

The present invention also provides a compact and inexpensive electronicphotographing device in which can be used in panoramic photographing,wherein image information stored in a recording medium of the camera canbe easily stored in an external memory device.

The present invention additionally provides a compact and inexpensiveelectronic photographing device in which can be used in panoramicphotographing, wherein an operation for causing a printer to print imageinformation stored in a recording medium of the camera can be easilyperformed.

The present invention further provides a compact and inexpensiveelectronic photographing device in which can be used in panoramicphotographing, wherein predetermined image editing such as erasing of apanoramic image recorded on a recording medium of the camera,downloading image information stored in the recording medium into anexternal memory device, or an operation for causing a printer to printthe image information stored in the recording medium can be easilyperformed.

In short, according to the invention, an electronic photographing devicein which image information corresponding to one set of imagesphotographed by panoramic photographing can be recorded on a recordingmedium comprises:

a rotation direction setting device for setting informationcorresponding to a rotation direction of the electronic photographingdevice in the panorama photographing;

a rotation direction recording device for recording informationcorresponding to the rotation direction set by the rotation directionsetting device on the recording medium;

a control device for controlling an arrangement of the one set ofpanorama images on the basis of the information corresponding to therotation direction recorded on the recording medium;

a display device for displaying editing information for performingpredetermined image editing to the panoramic images arranged by thecontrol device; and

a control device for performing a predetermined editing operation on thebasis of the editing information displayed on the display device.

These advantages of the present invention will become further apparentfrom the following detailed explanation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of an electronicphotographing device according to the first and second preferredembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the appearance of the electronicphotographing device according to the first and second preferredembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the electronicphotographing device according to the first and second preferredembodiments when viewed from the rear surface side of the electronicphotographing device.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a state wherein the electronic photographingdevice according to the first and second preferred embodiments of thepresent invention is connected to a personal computer, a digitalrecorder, and a printer.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an entire electric arrangement of theelectronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a recording format of the image information corresponding to aone-frame image recorded on the recording medium of the electronicphotographing device according to the first and second preferredembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of the entire operation of theelectronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an initial setting operation ofphotographing mode in the electronic photographing device according tothe first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an operation of setting the number ofpanorama-photographed frames of one set (the predictive number ofpanorama-photographed frames) in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the flow of photographing operations ofthe electronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the flow of the entire operation of anediting mode serving as a sub-mode of a panorama mode in the electronicphotographing device according to the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the flow of the entire operation of anerase mode serving as a sub-mode of the editing mode in the electronicphotographing device according to the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the flow of the entire operation of aprotect mode serving as a sub-mode of the editing mode in the electronicphotographing device according to the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing the flow of the entire operation of aprint mode serving as a sub-mode of the editing mode in the electronicphotographing device according to the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 15 is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when selection of the sub-mode of the panorama mode is performed inthe electronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16A is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when selection of a rotation direction of a camera in panoramaphotographing is performed in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16B is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when selection of a rotation direction of a camera in panoramaphotographing is performed in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16C is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when selection of a rotation direction of a camera in panoramaphotographing is performed in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17A is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when selection of a rotation direction of a camera in panoramaphotographing is performed in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17B is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when selection of a rotation direction of a camera in panoramaphotographing is performed in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17C is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when a camera is rotated in a selected direction in panoramaphotographing using the electronic photographing device according to thefirst preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when selection of the number of photographed frames in panoramaphotographing is performed in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a view showing a display example of a liquid-crystal displayunit when selection of the sub-mode of the editing mode is performed inthe electronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20A is a view showing a display example in which a multi-dividedphotographed image is displayed on the liquid-crystal display unit inthe erase mode serving as a sub-mode of the editing mode in theelectronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20B is a view showing a display example in which a multi-dividedphotographed image is displayed on the liquid-crystal display unit inthe erase mode serving as a sub-mode of the editing mode in theelectronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21A is a view showing an example in which only a panoramic image isdisplayed at the central portion of the screen of the liquid-crystaldisplay unit in the erase mode serving as a sub-mode of the editing modein the electronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21B is a view showing an example in which only a panoramic image isdisplayed at the central portion of the screen of the liquid-crystaldisplay unit in the erase mode serving as a sub-mode of the editing modein the electronic photographing device according to the first preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a view showing a display example of the liquid-crystaldisplay unit when selection of a sub-mode of the protect mode serving asa sub-mode of the editing mode in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a view showing an example in which an image to be printed isselected by a circular flicker display in the print mode serving as asub-mode of the editing mode in the electronic photographing deviceaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an entire electric arrangement of theelectronic photographing device according to the second preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a view showing an example in which a rotation direction of acamera is displayed on the liquid-crystal display unit in panoramaphotographing of the electronic photographing device according to thesecond preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings.

A first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be describedbelow.

The entire arrangement and operation of an electronic photographingdevice (to be referred to as a “camera” hereinafter) according to thisembodiment will be described below.

FIGS. 1 to 3 are views showing the appearances of the camera, in whichFIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is aperspective view showing the camera when viewed from the rear surface.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a state wherein the camera is connected to apersonal computer (to be referred to as a “PC” hereinafter) 44, adigital recorder 45, and a printer 46.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the entire electric arrangement of thecamera.

As shown in FIG. 1, a photographing lens 2 held by a lens mirrorcylinder 3 is arranged towards the right side of the central portion onthe front surface of a camera body 1 as shown in FIG. 1. An opticalfinder objective unit 4 is exposed to the upper side of thephotographing lens 2, and distance measurement lenses 5 and 6 arearranged on the left and right sides of the optical finder objectiveunit 4 to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined baselength. An electric-flash device 7 for illuminating an object isarranged on the left side of the distance measurement lens 5, and a gripportion 8 for holding the camera body 1 is arranged on the left side ofthe electric-flash device 7. A strap fixing portion 9 is arranged on theside surface of the grip portion 8.

On the side surface of the camera body 1 opposing the grip portion 8, asshown in FIG. 2, a recording medium insertion/extraction port 15 isprovided for inserting/removing a recording medium 33 serving as adetachable recording means (to be described later). Below the recordingmedium insertion/extraction port 15, a video output terminal 19 forconnecting the camera to a monitor television and a data input/outputterminal 20 for connecting the camera to an external machine such as aprinter or a PC are formed.

Referring to FIG. 3, arranged on the upper surface of the camera body 1are a release switch 10; an increment switch 11 for updating a setnumeral value such as a date to increase the value; a decrement switch12 for updating a set numeral value or the like to decrease the value; afixing switch 13 for fixing the data such as a date selected by theincrement switch 11 or the decrement switch 12; a mode selection switch14 for selecting a predetermined mode from various modes of the camera;and a liquid-crystal display unit 16 for displaying mode information orthe like selected by the mode selection switch 14. These variousoperation switches are automatic-reset switches. Arranged on the rearsurface of the camera body 1 is a liquid-crystal display unit 17 fordisplaying information which is required for a predetermined editingoperation (to be described later) performed by the camera, such as adate selected by the increment switch 11 or the decrement switch 12 or aphotographing date of an image. A power supply switch 18 for supplying apower to the camera is arranged on the upper right portion on the rearsurface of the camera body 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, the camera body 1 is connected to the PC 44 toexecute, as needed, further various types of image processing whichcannot be executed by the camera itself. The camera 1 is connected tothe digital recorder 45 to record a large amount of image data from thatrecorded on the recording medium 33 onto the digital recorder 45. Thecamera 1 is also connected to the printer 46 to cause the printer 46 toprint the image corresponding to the image data recorded on therecording medium 33. The printer 46 is also connected to the PC 44 toenable the printing of the image corresponding to the image dataprocessed by the PC 44.

The electric arrangement of the camera according to this embodiment willbe described below with reference to FIG. 5. The same reference numeralsas in the arrangements described in FIGS. 1 to 3 denote the same partsin the arrangement described in FIG. 5.

The photographing lens 2 is arranged to form an object image on thephotographing surface of a solid state imaging element 25 arrangedbehind the photographing lens 2. The photographing lens 2 ismechanically connected to a photographing lens drive unit 21. Thephotographing lens 2 is driven to a predetermined position such that aclear object image is always formed on the photographing surface of thesolid state imaging element 25 on the basis of a distance to an objectmeasured by a distance measurement circuit 34 (to be described later).

An aperture 22 arranged behind the photographing lens has an aperturefunction of adjusting a depth of field and an amount of exposure for thesolid state imaging element 25 and a shutter function of determining ashutter speed. This aperture 22 is mechanically connected to an aperturedrive unit 23. The aperture 22 is set to have a predetermined diameterand a predetermined shutter speed on the basis of a command signal froma CPU (Center Processing Unit) 39.

An optical low-pass filter 24 for preventing reflected distortion frombeing generated in a video signal is arranged behind the aperture 22.

The solid state imaging element 25 is arranged behind the opticallow-pass filter 24. A drive circuit 26 is connected to the solid stateimaging element 25 to store a signal from the solid state imagingelement for a predetermined period of time and generate a signal forreading the stored signal at a predetermined timing. The drive circuit26 is connected to the CPU 39 to be controlled on the basis of a signalfrom the CPU 39.

The output terminal of the solid state imaging element 25 is connectedto the input terminal of an A/D converter 27. An analog output signalfrom the solid state imaging element 25 is converted into a digitalsignal by the A/D converter 27, and the digital signal is sent to aDigital Signal Processor 28 connected to the output terminal of the A/Dconverter 27. The DSP 28 is a processor for dividing the digital signalinto a color-difference signal and a luminance signal to performcorrection and a compression/expansion process.

The output terminal of the digital signal processor 28 is connected to aDiscrete Cosine Transform (to be referred to as DCT hereinafter) circuit29. In the DCT circuit 29, an orthogonal transformation which is animage compression/expansion process in accordance with the JPEG isperformed. The DCT circuit 29 is connected to a Huffman Encoder/Decoder30. In this Huffman Encoder/Decoder 30, a predetermined process which isan image compression process in accordance with the JPEG is performed.With the Huffman encoding/decoding process performed here, ahigh-efficiency image compression/expansion process can be performed.

The output terminal of the Huffman encoder/decoder circuit 30 isconnected to a Memory Control Circuit 31. The output terminal of thismemory control circuit 31 is connected to the recording medium 33through a connector 32. The memory control circuit 31 serves to recorddata on the recording medium 33 or read recorded data from the recordingmedium 33.

A distance measurement circuit 34 is a circuit for forming a signal formeasuring a distance from the camera to an object. In this camera, thetwo distance measurement lenses 5 and 6 which are spaced apart from eachother by a predetermined base length are arranged such that an objectimage is formed using the principle of triangular distance measurementon a light-receiving surface of a distance measurement sensor (notshown) serving as the main component of the distance measurement circuit34.

The CPU 39 executes a predetermined process on the basis of an outputsignal from the distance measurement circuit 34 to calculate a distanceto the object. On the basis of the calculation result, the CPU 39 sendsa predetermined signal to the photographing lens drive unit 21. Withthis arrangement, the photographing lens drive unit 21 drives thephotographing lens 2 to a predetermined position such that a focusedobject image is always formed on the photographing surface of the solidstate imaging element 25.

The electric-flash circuit 35 is connected to the CPU 39. The CPU 39 isa circuit which radiates auxiliary light on the object when determinedto be necessary by the CPU 39 on the basis of brightness information ofthe object measured by a photometric circuit 38 (to be described later),e.g., that the object has low brightness.

A calendar signal generation means 36 is connected to the CPU 39 togenerate a calendar signal on the basis of a date input by a cameraoperator, a photographing date data recorded on the recording medium 33,or the present date generated by a timer incorporated in the CPU 39.This calendar signal may be incorporated in the CPU 39.

The character signal generation circuit 37 is connected to the CPU 39 togenerate a character signal consisting of fonts such as letters andnumbers which are required for display formats such as a calendar. Thecharacter signal may be incorporated in the CPU 39.

The liquid-crystal display units 16 and 17 are connected to the CPU 39to be controlled by the CPU 39. The video output terminal 19 and thedata input/output terminal 20 are also connected to the CPU 39, and allthe various operation switches are also connected to the CPU 39. Thebasic functions of the various operation switches have been describedabove in FIGS. 1 to 3.

The photometric circuit 38 is connected to the CPU 39. The photometriccircuit 38 is a circuit to measure the brightness of the object prior toa photographing operation. The value of a shutter speed is determined onthe basis of information obtained by a photometric operation performedby the photometric circuit 38, which also determines whether auxiliarylight is illuminated through the electric-flash circuit 35, as describedabove.

The CPU 39 is arranged to identify information input by an operator ofthe camera 1 and perform various controls of the entire camera dependingon the identification information.

The operation of the first embodiment will be described below.

When the mode selection switch 14 arranged on the upper surface of thecamera 1 is pressed, the mode is sequentially switched to variousphotographing modes or various process modes. This embodiment relates toa mode for performing panorama photographing (to be referred to as a“panorama mode” hereinafter) of these various modes.

This embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 6 showinga recording format of image information of each frame photographed andrecorded on the recording medium 33, FIGS. 7 to 14 which are flow chartsshowing the flows of operations of this embodiment, and FIGS. 15 to 23which are display examples of the liquid-crystal display unit 17corresponding to the operations of this embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a main routine showing the entire flow of the operation ofthis embodiment.

The mode selection switch 14 is pressed to select a panorama mode whilechecking the liquid-crystal display unit 16. When the panorama mode isset, as shown in FIG. 15, a menu constituted by a “photographing” mode,an “editing” mode, and “end” serving as sub-modes are displayed at theupper right portion of the liquid-crystal display unit 17. Operationcontents operated by a camera operator are displayed at the lower leftportion of the liquid-crystal display unit 17.

A display “+ −” represents that one sub-mode can be selected from themenu by operating the increment switch 11 or the decrement switch 12.The display at the upper left portion of the liquid-crystal display unit17 is a display representing that the panorama mode is set.

When the increment switch 11 or the decrement switch 12 is operated, atriangle index on the left of the sub-modes moves. When the index movesto the position of a predetermined sub-mode, the fixing switch 13 ispressed, and the selection of the predetermined sub-mode is fixed. Atthe same time, a mark representing that the predetermined sub-mode hasbeen selected and fixed is displayed at the lower right portion of theliquid-crystal display unit 17. It is checked whether the selectedsub-mode is the “photographing” mode. In the following description, fordescriptive convenience, this determination process is called [J701].

As a result of this determination process [J701], if it is determinedthat the “photographing mode” is set, various processes for panoramaphotographing (to be described later) are executed. On the other hand,as a result of the determination process [J701], if it is determined theediting mode is set, a predetermined editing process such as an eraseprocess is executed to a panorama image photographed in the“photographing” mode.

As a result of the determination result [J701], if the “photographing”mode is selected, a subroutine (to be referred to as “subroutine 1”) fordetermining an initial setting is executed. The subroutine 1 will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 8.

In the subroutine 1, a direction of a rotation angle of the camera inthe panorama photographing is set.

When the “photographing” mode is selected, a predetermined display asshown in FIG. 16A appears on the liquid-crystal display unit 17 tooverlap the image of the object. Upper and lower rectangular marks andarrows in FIG. 16A represent that the camera is rotated such that thephotographing surface of the solid state imaging element 25corresponding to the position of the upper rectangular mark moves to theposition where the object in the lower rectangular mark is photographedin the next photographing operation. More specifically, in this case,the camera is rotated from the upper side to the lower side.

When the increment switch 11 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 16B, thedirection of the arrows is switched. In this case, according to the sametheory as described above, the camera is rotated from the lower side tothe upper side.

When the increment switch 11 is pressed, as shown in FIG. 17A,rectangular marks and arrows are displayed on the left and right sidesof the liquid-crystal display unit 17. In this case, according to thesame theory as described above, the camera is rotated clockwise.

In addition, when the increment switch 11 is pressed, the direction ofthe arrows is switched as shown in FIG. 17B. In this case, according tothe same theory as described above, the camera is rotatedcounterclockwise.

Although the display of the liquid-crystal display unit 17 is switchedby pressing the increment switch 11 in the above description, thedecrement switch 12 may be pressed. In this case, the display order isreversed.

When any one of the above displays representing the rotating directionsof the camera appears on the liquid-crystal display unit 17 by pressingthe increment switch 11 or the decrement switch 12, if the fixing switch13 is pressed, the rotation direction of the camera is fixed.

As shown in FIG. 6, information representing the rotation direction ofthe camera is recorded on the recording medium 33 as header informationin correspondence with each image.

Upon completion of setting of the rotation direction of the camera, thenumber of panorama-photographed frames of one set (the predicted numberof panorama-photographed frames) is set. This setting will be describedbelow with reference to subroutine 11 in FIG. 9.

In the subroutine 11, the number of available frames (n1) which can berecorded in the recording medium 33 is calculated. Selection isperformed to check whether the predicted number of photographed frames(N) is equal to or larger than the predetermined number of frames.

FIG. 18 shows an example in which two selection menus representing thatthe predicted number of frames N is equal to or larger than the numberof panorama-photographing-capable frames n1 (temporarily set as 10) andthat the predictive number of frames N is smaller than the number ofunexposed frames n1 available for panoramic photographing are displayedon the upper right portion of the liquid-crystal display unit 17. As inthe above operation, the triangle mark on the left side of the menus ismoved by operating the increment switch 11 or the decrement switch 12.

The selected predictive number of frames to be panorama-photographed (N)is compared with the number of available frames (n1). Here, if N>n1 awarning (not shown) of “require spare recording medium” is displayed onthe liquid-crystal display unit 17.

When the fixing switch 13 is pressed, a menu indicated by the trianglemark is fixed.

FIG. 18 is a view showing a case wherein 10 or more is selected as thepredicted number of photographed frames. As described above, when a lackof capacity of the recording medium is predicted, the photographer iswarned of the lack of capacity, so that the inconvenience of having thephotographing unexpectedly stopped can be prevented.

As a result of the selection, it is checked whether N>n1 is satisfied.If N>n1 is satisfied, “1” is set in a flag (“FLG1” is set) serving as apredetermined memory in the CPU 39. On the other hand, in the abovedetermination, if N>n1 is not satisfied, “0” is set in the FLG1. Here,FLG1=1 represents that a spare recording medium is required, and FLG1=0represents no spare recording medium is required. Upon completion of theabove flag, the control flow returns from the subroutine 11.

The number of photographed frames to be selected is not limited to theabove example. Various numbers having smaller intervals may be selectedas the number of photographed frames.

When the flow returns from the subroutine 11, the flow returns to thesubroutine 1 shown in FIG. 8, and the flow returns from the subroutine1. When the flow returns from the subroutine 1, returning to FIG. 7, thesubroutine 2 representing the flow of photographing operation isexecuted.

The operations of the subroutine 2 will be described below withreference to FIG. 10.

It is checked whether the first frame is photographed in panoramicphotographing mode. For convenience in the following description, thisdetermination process is called [J1001]. As the determination result, ifit is determined that the first frame is photographed, it is checkedwhether the release switch 10 is pressed.

Here, this determination process is called [J1002]. If the releaseswitch 10 is not pressed, the determination process [J1001] is performedagain, and the above operation is repeated. As a result of thedetermination process [J1001], if the first frame is not photographed,i.e., if the second frame or frame subsequent to the second frame isphotographed, it is checked by the following manner whether the rotationangle of the camera falls within an allowable range.

When the camera is rotated in the direction designated in FIG. 16A, theimage of a rectangular region “B” in the image of the first frame isideally rotated to be located at a position “A” in photographing of thesecond frame. A correlation operation for detecting the degree ofcoincidence between both the images is performed between the image dataof the region B in FIG. 16A recorded on the recording medium 33 afterthe releasing operation and the image data of the region A in FIG. 16Aof image data which are photographed in real time at predeterminedintervals of time and converted into digital signal before the nextrelease operation. As a result of the correlation operation, if thedegree coincidence falls within an allowable range, it is determinedthat the rotating angle of the camera is appropriate, and flickered “OK”is displayed on the liquid-crystal display unit 17 (not shown).

It is determined in the determination process [J1002] that the releaseswitch 10 is pressed, it is checked again whether the first frame ispanorama-photographed. This determination process is called [J1003]. Ifit is determined in the determination process that the first frame ispanorama-photographed, distance measurement for measuring the distancefrom the camera to the object is performed to drive the photographinglens 2 to a predetermined position. A photometric operation fordetermining an aperture diameter and a shutter speed is performed. Thephotometric information is stored in an internal memory of the CPU 39.White balance information is also stored in the memory. Exposure isperformed on the bases of the photometric information.

If it is determined in the determination process [J1003] that the firstframe is not photographed, the distance measurement and the photometricoperation are not performed, but exposure is performed under the sameconditions as those in photographing of the first frame. This is becausephotographing of the second frame or a frame subsequent to the secondframe is performed on the basis of the same distance measurementinformation, photometric information, and white balance information asthose of the first frame. In this manner, the images of frames obtainedby panorama photographing are synthesized with each other, a panoramaimage having an exposure, a focusing state, and white balance which aresimilar to those of a panorama image obtained by performing panoramaphotographing once can be obtained.

Upon completion of the exposure, an analog output signal from the solidstate imaging element 25 is converted into a digital signal by the A/Dconverter 27. The digital signal is subjected to various signalprocessing such as image compression by the digital signal processor 28,the DCT circuit 29, and the Huffman encoder/decoder 30. The image datasubjected to the predetermined signal processing is recorded on therecording medium 33 under the control of the memory control circuit 31.

As shown in FIG. 6, in correspondence with the image data of therespective frames, shared file names of frames constituting panoramaimages, panorama numbers serving as data added to panorama images in aphotographing order, and frame numbers serving as data representing thephotographing order of all images are recorded as header information. Asthe header information, in addition to the above information, a rotationdirection which is described above and represents a rotation directionof the camera in panorama photographing, a photographing date, and aprotect code (to be described later) are recorded.

Upon completion of photographing, the menus of the same sub-modes asshown in FIG. 15 are displayed at the upper right portion of theliquid-crystal display unit 17, and selection is performed to checkwhether panorama photographing continues. As in the above selection of asub-mode, a predetermined sub-mode is selected from the menu byoperating the increment switch 11 or the decrement switch 12, and theselected sub-mode is fixed by the fixing switch 13.

In this embodiment, as described above, the above selection for checkingwhether panorama photographing continues is performed for each framephotographed in panoramic mode. However, the invention is not limited tothis embodiment. The following methods may be used. For example, aninterrupt function is given to a predetermined switch during panoramicphotographing, and the panorama photographing is ended when thepredetermined switch is pressed. In addition, the number ofpanorama-photographed frames is input in advance, the panoramaphotographing may continue until photographing of the framescorresponding to the input number of panorama-photographed framescompleted. In this manner, it is not necessary to check the selectionwhether panorama photographing continues after each time photographingof one frame is ended.

It is checked whether the fixed sub-mode is a “photographing” mode.Here, this determination process is called [J1004].

If the “photographing” mode is selected in the determination process, itis checked whether the number of remaining frames which can be recordedon the recording medium 33 is smaller than the predetermined number offrames (n2). This determination process is called [J1005]. As a resultof the determination process, if the number of remaining recordableframes is not smaller than n2, the flow branches off to thedetermination process [J1001] to repeat the above operations.

If it is determined in the determination process [J1004] that “end” isselected, the flow returns from the subroutine 2 to end panoramicphotographing.

If the “photographing” mode is selected in the determinationprocess.[J1004], and if it is determined in the determination process[J1005] that the number of remaining frames which can be recorded on therecording medium 33 is smaller than n2, the determination results aredisplayed on the liquid-crystal display unit 17 with a warning (notshown). With this arrangement, a photographer can prepare for anexchange of recording media 33.

It is checked whether the number of remaining frames which can berecorded on the recording medium 33 is “0”. This determination processis called [J1006]. If it is determined in the determination process thatthe number of remaining frames which can be recorded on the recordingmedium 33 is not “0”, the flow branches off to the determination process[J1001] to repeat the operations described above.

If it is determined in the determination process [J1006] that the numberof remaining frames which can be recorded on the recording medium 33 is“0”, the determination result is displayed with a warning.

This warning display will be described below with reference to FIGS. 16Cand 17C.

FIG. 16C shows a case wherein the rotation direction of the camera isset to be a direction in which the camera is rotated from the upper sideto the lower side (FIG. 16A). FIG. 16 shows the following case. That is,when the capacity of the recording medium 33 becomes zero in the middleof panorama photographing of several frames, the rectangular mark andthe arrow on the lower side of the screen are cleared and only the uppermark is displayed to warn a photographer that the capacity becomes zero.In this case, a panorama mark at the upper left portion of the screen, amark “+−” at the lower left portion of the screen, and a mode displayare cleared. This is because it is apparent that panorama photographingis performed, and such displays are not necessary.

FIG. 17C shows a case wherein the rotating direction of the camera isset to be to the right (FIG. 17A). FIG. 17C shows the following state.That is, when the capacity of the recording medium 33 becomes zero inthe middle of panorama photographing of several frames, the rectangularmark and the arrow on the right side of the screen are cleared and onlythe left mark is displayed to display that the capacity becomes zero. Inthis case, for the same reason as described above, a panorama mark atthe upper left portion of the screen, a mark “+−” at the lower leftportion of the screen, and a mode display are cleared.

As described above, when one of the rectangular marks is cleared, it isapparent that the capacity of the recording medium 33 becomes zero, anda panorama photographing device which can be used in human engineeringcan be provided.

When the warning display is made, then it is checked whether the FLG1 is“0”. This determination process is called [J1007]. Although the FLG1 isdescribed in the explanation of the subroutine 11 shown in FIG. 9,FLG1=1 represents that the number of panorama-photographed frames is solarge that a spare recording medium is required as the recording medium33, and FLG1=0 represents that the spare recording medium is notnecessary.

If FLG1=1 is satisfied in the determination process [J1007], a displayrepresenting that recording media must be exchanged is made on theliquid-crystal display unit 17 with the warning (not shown).

If FLG1=1 is not satisfied in the determination process [J1007], theflow returns from the subroutine 2 to end panorama photographing of oneset of frames. More specifically, in this case, the determinationprocess [J1007] serves as an inhibition means for inhibiting panoramaphotographing when the number of remaining frames which can be recordedon the recording medium 33 is determined as “0” in the determinationprocess [J1006].

When the photographer does not want to continue panorama photographing,if the number of remaining frames which can be recorded on the recordingmedium 33 is determined as “0”, the panorama photographing is forciblyinhibited, so that redundant operations such as mode switching can beomitted.

It is checked whether the recording media 33 has been exchanged. If itis determined that the recording media 33 has been exchanged, the flowgoes to the determination process [J1001] again to repeat the aboveoperations. Predetermined identification codes recorded on eachrecording media 33 are checked to determine whether recording media 33has been exchanged. Here, when the recording media 33 is exchanged, thesame file names used in the panorama photographing before the exchange,and the panoramic series numbers are added to the image data of theframes of the next panorama photographing session. In this manner,searching and editing operations for one set of panoramic images afterphotographing can be easily performed.

If FLG1=1 is not satisfied in the determination process [J1007], theflow returns from the subroutine 2. When the flow returns from thesubroutine 2, the flow returns to the main routine in FIG. 7 to end thepanorama mode.

The editing mode will now be described below.

If it is determined in the determination process [J701] in FIG. 7 thatthe “photographing” mode is not set, then it is checked whether the“editing” mode is set. This determination process is called [J702]. As aresult of the determination process, if it is determined that the“editing” mode is set, the flow branches off to subroutine (subroutine3) to perform editing.

The operation of the subroutine 3 will be described below with referenceto FIGS. 11 to 14.

In the subroutine 3 shown in FIG. 11, as shown in FIG. 19, menus“erase”, “protect”, “download”, “print”, and “end” which are sub-modesof the “editing” mode which are sequentially ordered from the upper sideare displayed at the upper right portion of the liquid-crystal displayunit 17. The “erase” is a mode for erasing stored image data.

The “protect” is a mode for inhibiting the stored image data from beingerased or read. The “download” is a mode for storage image informationfrom the recording medium 33 in an external memory device such as thedigital recorder 45. The “print” is a mode for printing the imagecorresponding to the image data recorded on the recording medium 33. The“end” is a mode for ending an editing operation to cause the flow toreturn to the main routine.

As in the above sub-mode selection, the increment switch 11 or thedecrement switch 12 is operated to select a predetermined sub-mode fromthe sub-modes. After the predetermined sub-mode is selected, when thefixing switch 13 is pressed, the sub-mode is fixed.

It is checked whether the fixed sub-mode is the “erase” mode. Thisdetermination process is called [J301]. As a result of the determinationprocess, if the “erase” mode is set, subroutine (subroutine 31) in thismode is executed.

The operation of the subroutine 31 will be described below withreference to the flow chart in FIG. 12.

When the “erase” mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 20A, themulti-divided image corresponding to image data recorded on therecording medium 33 is displayed on the liquid-crystal display unit 17.In FIG. 20A, the same letters denote one set of panorama images. Thescreen is divided into nine (3×3) small screens, and the small screensare sequentially displayed in a photographing order such that the threescreens of the uppermost horizontal row of the entire screen arearranged from the left, and the three screens of the second horizontalrow of the entire screen are arranged from the left. The arrangement ofthe small screens is called a screen sequential arrangement.

Selection of the erased screen is performed. On one of the multi-dividedsmall screens, a circular point is flickered as shown in FIG. 20A. Thisflickered display represents the screen corresponding to image data tobe erased. When the increment switch 11 is pressed, the flickereddisplay moves horizontally in units of small screens. In a state whereinthe flickered display is located in the small screen on the right end,when the increment switch 11 is pressed, the flickered display moves tothe small screen on the left end of the next row. The same operations asdescribed above are repeated. When the decrement switch 12, theflickered display moves in the direction opposite to the direction whenthe increment switch 11 is pressed.

The increment switch 11 is pressed, and, as shown in FIG. 20A, theflickered display is located in the small display on the right end ofthe lowermost row. In this case, when the increment switch 11 ispressed, as shown in FIG. 20B, the small screen shifts in the rightdirection. In this manner, even if all the images cannot be displayed onthe screen at once, the entire image collection recorded on therecording medium can be easily confirmed.

When a protect code (see FIG. 6) is added to the image datacorresponding to a small screen selected as described above, the protectcode is displayed with a warning code representing an inhibition oferasing (not shown). In this case, if the small screen corresponding toprotected image data is selected to be erased, the fixing switch 13 isinvalid, and the image data is forcibly inhibited from being erased.

When the screen corresponding to image data to which a protect code isnot added is selected, and the image corresponding to the fixed screenpartially constitutes a panoramic image, a warning that the imagepartially constitutes a panoramic image is displayed (not shown). Thechecks as to whether the image partially constitutes a panoramic imageis made by identifying the numbers (shown in FIG. 6) serving as dataadded to the panoramic images in their photographing order. The warningis given when the image is a frame partially constituting a panoramicimage because the panoramic image has higher relativity to another framethan that of a single image.

When the fixing switch 13 is pressed, the image corresponding to theselected small screen is erased. If the fixing switch is not pressed,the operations following the selection on the erased screen arerepeated.

When the fixing switch 13 is pressed to erase the image datacorresponding to the selected small screen, if the erased image datapartially constitutes a panoramic image, the header information added tothe image data shown in FIG. 6 such as the file name, panorama number,and frame number of the separated panoramic image are updated.

When the number of frames constituting a panoramic image separated byerasing the image data is only one, the image is not panoramic image.The panorama number is updated to a code corresponding to an ordinarilyphotographed frame. In this manner, a panoramic image can be preventedfrom being erroneously recognized.

Upon completion of the above operation, the flow returns from the memorycontrol circuit 31, and, in FIG. 11, returning to the selection of thesub-mode in the “editing” mode, the same operations as described aboveare repeated.

In the explanation of the “erase” mode, a display having a screensequential arrangement is used as a multi-divided display. However, thedisplay is not limited to the display having a screen sequentialarrangement. More specifically, when the images corresponding to imagedata recorded on the recording medium 33 is a panoramic image, if thepanoramic image is horizontally rotated to be photographed, thepanoramic image is horizontally displayed at the center of the screen asshown in FIG. 21A. The direction and order of the arrangement of imagesconstituting the panoramic image are determined on the basis of thepanorama number and the rotation direction which are contained in theheader information as shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 21B shows a state in which the panoramic image is shifted to theright by one frame by pressing the increment switch 11. When the displayis made as described above, the same image as an object actuallyphotographed is displayed. For this reason, a checking operation and anediting operation for the photographed panoramic image can be easilyperformed advantageously.

In the above description, ordinarily photographed images are displayedat the same time with the panoramic image. The present invention is notlimited to the above description, however. For example, only thepanoramic image may be selectively displayed.

In the subroutine 3 representing the operations in the “editing” mode,if it is determined in the determination process [J301] that the “erase”mode is not set, then it is checked whether the “protect” mode is set.This determination process is called [J302]. As a result of thedetermination process, if the “protect” mode is set, subroutine(subroutine 32) in this mode is executed.

This protect mode will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 13. In the subroutine 32 shown in FIG. 13, selectionof a sub-mode is performed. The sub-modes are constituted by “setting”representing the setting of the protect mode, “cancel” representing thecanceling of the protect mode, and “end” representing the end of thesub-mode selection of the protect mode. The selection of the sub-mode isperformed in the same manner described above with respect to theexplanations of other operations such that one of the menus displayed atthe upper right portion of the liquid-crystal display unit 17 isselected as shown in FIG. 22.

In the selection of the sub-menu, if “setting” or “cancel” is selected,then setting of a protect code or selection of an image in which aprotect code is to be canceled is performed. This image selection isperformed by displaying the image photographed by the liquid-crystaldisplay unit 17 in a multi-division state in the same manner as that ofthe selection of an erased screen. In this case, unlike the selectingoperation of the erased screen, when an image subjected to setting orcanceling of the protect code is be selected, it is checked whether aprotect code has previously been added to the selected image or whetherthe selected image is included in one set of panorama images, but is notyet protected.

Upon completion of the selection of the image subject to the setting orcanceling of the protect code, it is checked whether the selected imageis an image included in a set of panoramic images. This determinationprocess is called [J3201]. As a result of the determination process, ifit is determined that the selected image is one image included in a setof panoramic images, then it is is checked whether the protect code isset. This determination process is called [J3202].

As a result of the determination process, if it is determined thatsetting of the protect code is performed, the protect codes are set toall of the images of the set of panoramic images as the headerinformation of the image data as shown in FIG. 6.

As described above, protect codes are added to all of the panoramicimage in the set when it is determined that the selected image is animage within a set of panoramic images because the panoramic images areusually processed as a whole. As a matter of course, the invention isnot limited to the above description. For example, a protect code may beindividually added to a single image included in a set of panoramicimages.

As a result of the determination process [J3202], if it is determinedthat setting of the protect code is not performed, i.e., if it isdetermined that a cancellation of the protect code is to be performed,the protect codes of all of the panoramic images in the set arecanceled. Upon completion of the above operation, the flow shifts to theselection of a sub-mode again to repeat the above operations.

If it is determined in the determination process [J3201] that theselected image is not an image is not an image belonging to a set ofpanoramic images, i.e., if it is determined that the selected image isan image photographed by ordinary photographing, then it is checkedwhether setting of a protect code is performed. This determinationprocess is called [J3203]. As a result of the determination process, ifit is determined that setting of a protect code is performed, a protectcode is set for the selected image.

As a result of the determination process [J3203], if a setting of theprotect code is not performed, i.e., if the protect code is canceled,the protect code of the selected image is canceled. Upon completion ofthe above operations, the flow shifts to the selection of a sub-modeagain to repeat the above operations.

If “end” is selected in the selection of a sub-mode, the flow returnsfrom the subroutine 32.

As shown in FIG. 11, if it is determined in the determination process[J302] that the “protect” mode is not set, then it is checked whether a“download” mode is set. This determination process is called [J303]. Asa result of the determination process, if it is determined that the“download” mode is set, image information recorded on the recordingmedium 33 is stored in the digital recorder 45 serving as an externalmemory device. Upon completion of the above operations, the flow shiftsto the selection of a sub-mode again to repeat the above operations.

If it is determined in the determination process [J303] that the“download” mode is not set, then it is checked whether a “print” mode isset. This determination process is called [J304]. As a result of thedetermination process, if it is determined that the “print” mode is set,subroutine (subroutine 33) in this mode is executed. The subroutine 33will be described below with reference to FIG. 14.

When the flow branches off to the subroutine 33, a print image isselected. As in the “erase” mode, a photographed image is displayed in amulti-division state. As in the selection of an erased image in the“erase” mode, a print image to be printed is selected.

FIG. 23 shows a case wherein an image A2 serving as one frame from a setof panoramic images is selected. Here, if the selected image is theimage of one frame of a panoramic image, a display appears indicatingthat the selected image is one frame of a panoramic image. In an examplein FIG. 23, for this purpose, a panorama mark at the upper left of thescreen is flickered.

It is checked whether the fixing switch 13 is pressed. If the fixingswitch 13 is not pressed, the operation for selecting the print image isrepeated. On the other hand, if the fixing switch 13 is pressed, then itis checked again whether the image is the image of one frame of thepanorama image. This determination process is called [J3301]. Here, ifthe selected image is the image of one frame constituting the panoramicimage, all of the panoramic images in the set to which the frame belongsare printed, and thereafter the flow returns from the subroutine 33.

As a result of the determination process [J3301], if it is determinedthat the selected image is not an image from a set of panoramic images,after the image of the selected frame is printed, the flow returns fromthe subroutine 33.

As described above, a predetermined image selected by the camera isprinted on the basis of a command signal output from the camera. Forthis reason, the system can be reduced in size and cost.

As shown in FIG. 11, if it is determined in the determination process[J304] that the “print” mode is not set, it is understood that “end” isset, and the flow returns from the subroutine 3.

When the flow returns from the subroutine 3, in FIG. 7, the flow shiftsto the selection of a sub-mode again to repeat the above operations.

In the determination process [J702], if it is determined that the“editing mode” is not set, it is understood that “end” is set, and allexecutions of the panorama mode are ended.

The second preferred embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed below. In the following description, only arrangements andoperations which are different from those of the first embodiment of thepresent invention will be explained.

In the first embodiment, when data corresponding to a rotation directionof the camera when panoramic photographing is performed is to berecorded on the recording medium 33 as header information for eachphotographed image, the rotation direction of the camera is manuallyselected. However, in the second embodiment, as a means for settinginformation corresponding to the rotation direction of the camera, ameans for automatically setting the information on the basis of anoutput signal from an angular velocity sensor for detecting the rotationangle and rotation direction of the camera body 1 is used.

The appearances of a camera serving as an electronic photographingdevice according to the second embodiment are the same as those in FIGS.1 to 3. A view showing a connection state between the camera and a PC 44in the second embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing the entire electric arrangement ofthe camera according to the second embodiment. The arrangement andoperation of the camera will be described below.

The output terminal of an angular velocity sensor 40 is connected to theinput terminal of an A/D converter 42. The output terminal of the A/Dconverter 42 is connected to a CPU 39.

The angular velocity sensor 40 detects an angular velocity obtained whenthe camera is rotated about an y-axis which is a left-right directionwhen the camera is viewed from an object. An analog signal representingthe angular velocity detected by the angular velocity sensor 40 isconverted into a digital signal at a predetermined interval of time bythe A/D converter 42, and the converted digital signal is subjected totime quadrature by the CPU 39. The digital signal subjected to timequadrature corresponds to an amount of rotation of the camera body 1about the y axis. The rotation direction is determined by checking thepolarity of the analog output signal from the angular velocity sensor40.

The output terminal of the digital recorder 41 is connected to the inputterminal of an A/D converter 43. The output terminal of the A/Dconverter 43 is connected to the CPU 39.

When the upper-lower direction of the camera is set to be an X-axisdirection, the digital recorder 41 is to detect an angular velocityobtained when the camera is rotated about the X-axis. An analog signalrepresenting the angular velocity detected by the angular velocitysensor 41 is converted into a digital signal at a predetermined intervalof time by the A/D converter 43, and the converted digital signal issubjected to time quadrature by the CPU 39. The digital signal subjectedto time quadrature corresponds to an amount of rotation of the camerabody 1 about the X-axis. The rotation direction is determined bychecking the polarity of the analog output signal from the angularvelocity sensor 41.

The operation of the camera according to the second embodiment will bedescribed below.

As described above, the second embodiment is different from the firstembodiment only in the means for recording information related to therotation direction of the camera in the “photographing” mode on therecording medium 33. Therefore, only the different portion will beexplained below in a description of the operations of the secondembodiment.

In the second embodiment, in the subroutine 1 shown in FIG. 8, anoperation for manually setting a direction of the rotation angle of thecamera is not required. In the subroutine 1, upon completion ofexecution of the subroutine 11 for setting the number ofpanorama-photographed frames, the subroutine 2 shown in FIG. 10 isexecuted.

In the subroutine 2 shown in FIG. 10, as in the first embodiment, it ischecked whether the first frame is photographed in panoramic mode. Thisdetermination process is called [J1001].

As a result of the determination process, it is checked whether therelease switch 10 is pressed, the determination process is called[J1002].

If the release switch 10 is pressed, as in the first embodiment,predetermined photographing operations such as a photometric operationand an exposure operation are performed. However, in the secondembodiment, in addition to the operations performed in the firstembodiment, the time quadrature is executed on the converted outputsignals of the angular velocity sensors 40 and 41 immediately after theexposure operation. On the basis of the time quadrature, the rotationangle and rotation direction of the camera after photographing(exposure) of the first frame are calculated.

As a result of the determination process [J1001], if it is determinedthat the first frame has been photographed, i.e., if the second frame ora frame subsequent to the second frame is photographed, the rotationangle of the camera after the photographing (exposure) operationperformed immediately before the photographing of the second frame or aframe subsequent to the second frame falls within an allowable range.More specifically, the rotation angle of the camera is calculated on thebasis of the result obtained by performing time quadrature to the outputsignal from the angular velocity sensors 40 and 41, and of informationsuch as a focal length of the photographing lens 2.

At the same time, the rotation direction is recorded as headerinformation as shown in FIG. 6. While the camera is rotated, an arrowindicating the rotating direction of the camera is flickered anddisplayed at the lower right portion of a liquid-crystal display unit.

FIG. 25 shows an example wherein the camera is rotated clockwise. As aresult of checking whether the rotation angle of the camera falls withinan allowable range, if it is determined that the rotating angle of thecamera falls within the allowable range, “OK” is flickered and displayedon the liquid-crystal display unit 17 (not shown). When this flickereddisplay is confirmed, a release operation is performed again, and thenext frame is panorama-photographed in the same manner as describedabove.

In the second embodiment, whether the rotation, angle of the camerafalls within the allowable range is checked by directly calculating therotation angle on the basis of the time quadrature of the output signalsfrom the angular velocity sensors 40 and 41. However, the presentinvention is not limited to this method, and, as in the firstembodiment, the rotation angle may be calculated by performing acorrelation operation between the image data of photographed framesafter and before the exposure operation.

In the second embodiment, an angular velocity sensor is disclosed as thesensor for detecting the rotation direction and rotation angle of thecamera. Alternatively, as the sensor, not only the angular velocitysensor, but also an acceleration sensor may be used.

The angular velocity sensor used in the second embodiment and a sensorfor detecting and preventing blurring of the camera may also be used, sothat a cost/performance ratio may be increased.

According to the second embodiment of the present invention describedabove, information related to a rotation direction of panoramicphotographing can be recorded on the recording medium 33 with a simpleoperation. In addition, since the rotation angle of the camera can becorrectly determined, users of all skill levels can easily performpanoramic photographing with a simple operation.

In each of the first and second embodiments, when the data correspondingto the rotation direction of the camera in panoramic photographing is tobe recorded on the recording medium 33 as header information for eachphotographed image, information related to the rotation direction ismanually set or automatically determined by an angular velocity sensor.The rotating direction is not limited to the directions, described aboveas the rotating direction may be set to be a predetermined direction,e.g., a closing direction of a tripod screw for fixing the camera.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, there can beprovided a provide a compact and inexpensive electronic photographingdevice which can be used in panoramic photographing, such that imageediting such as erasing a panoramic image recorded on a recording mediumof the camera, downloading image information stored in the recordingmedium into an external memory device, or printing the image informationstored in the recording medium to a printer can be easily performed.

In this invention, it is apparent that various working embodiments canbe formed on this basis of this disclosure without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention. This invention is not restricted byany specific embodiment expect being limited by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic photographing device in which imageinformation corresponding to a set of images photographed in panoramicphotographing mode can be recorded on a recording medium in a fixedsequence and wherein each image in the set includes managementinformation, said device comprising: rotation direction setting meansfor setting information corresponding to a rotation direction of saidelectronic photographing device during the panoramic photographing ofsaid set of images; rotation direction recording means for recordinginformation corresponding to the rotation direction set by the rotationdirection setting means on said recording medium; a first control meansfor controlling an arrangement of the set of panoramic images on thebasis of the information corresponding to the rotation directionrecorded on said recording medium; display means for displaying thepanoramic images arranged by said control means and for displayingediting information for editing the panoramic images; and a secondcontrol means for performing an editing operation based upon the editinginformation displayed on said display means, wherein the editingoperation includes erasing a selected recorded image from the set ofpanoramic images, separating the set of panoramic images into aplurality of panoramic image subsets determined according to a positionof the erased image in the set, and updating the management informationof the remaining images which constitute the plurality of separatedpanoramic image subsets.
 2. An electronic photographing device accordingto claim 1, wherein the device cancels a designation that an image inone of the plurality of image subsets is a panoramic image when said oneof the plurality of image subsets contains only one image.
 3. Anelectronic photographing device for recording on a recording medium aplurality of images including a set of images photographed in panoramicmode and for processing the plurality of recorded images, said devicecomprising: a camera having a body and capable of photographing in atleast a panoramic mode, the camera body including: a display elementincluding a display screen for displaying a recorded image anddisplaying at least one of a visual representation of an activephotographing mode of the camera and an indication of at least oneprocessing operation which may be performed on the displayed image; aplurality of operation elements for selecting a processing operation tobe performed on a selected recorded image in accordance with theprocessing operations displayed on the display screen; and a controlelement for performing a processing operation selected with theoperation elements; wherein the control element includes a warninggenerator which generates a warning to be displayed on the displayelement when the selected operation is the erasing operation and theselected image to be erased is an image of the set of panoramic images.4. An electronic photographing device according to claim 3, wherein thecamera further comprises a mode selector for switching between thepanoramic photographing mode and other operating modes.
 5. An electronicphotographing device according to claim 3, wherein the display elementis capable of simultaneously displaying more than one of the pluralityof recorded images.
 6. An electronic photographing device according toclaim 3, wherein the operation elements select an image from theplurality of recorded images on which a selected processing operation isto be performed.
 7. An electronic photographing device according toclaim 3, wherein when the selected image on which the selected processis to be performed is an image of the set of panoramic images, thecontrol element performs the selected process on all the images in theset.
 8. An electronic photographing device according to claim 3,wherein: the at least one processing operation which may be performed ona selected image includes at least one of an erasing operation, an imageprotect operation, a protect cancel operation, a download operation, anda print operation, the image protect operation inhibits the reading oralteration of the selected image, the download operation downloads theselected image from the recording medium to an external storage device,and the print operation causes the selected image to be printed on anexternal printer.
 9. An electronic photographing device for recording ona recording medium a plurality of images including a set of imagesphotographed in panoramic mode and for processing the plurality ofrecorded images, said device comprising: a camera having a body andcapable of photographing in at least a panoramic mode, the camera bodyincluding: a display element including a display screen for displaying arecorded image and displaying on the displayed image at least one of avisual representation of an active photographing mode of the camera andan indication of at least one processing operation which may beperformed on the displayed image; a plurality of operation elements forselecting a processing operation to be performed on a selected recordedimage in accordance with the processing operations displayed on thedisplay screen; and a control element for performing a processingoperation selected with the operation elements, wherein: the at leastone processing operation which may be performed on a selected imageincludes at least one of an erasing operation, an image protectoperation, a protect cancel operation, a download operation, and a printoperation, the image protect operation inhibits the reading oralteration of the selected image, the download operation downloads theselected image from the recording medium to an external storage device,and the print operation causes the selected image to be printed on anexternal printer, and when the selected operation is the erasingoperation and the selected image to be erased is an image of the set ofpanoramic images, the control element provides information to therecording medium which divides the set of panoramic images into twosubsets of panoramic images, the two subsets containing the remainingimages in the set after erasure of the selected image.
 10. An electronicphotographing device according to claim 9, wherein when one of the twosubsets contains only one image, the information provided to therecording medium from the control element includes information that theone image in the one subset is no longer a panoramic image.
 11. Anelectronic photographing device in which image information correspondingto a set of images photographed in panoramic photographing mode can berecorded on a recording medium in a fixed sequence and wherein eachimage in the set includes management information, said devicecomprising: a direction setting unit for setting informationcorresponding to a rotation direction of said electronic photographingdevice during the panoramic photographing of said set of images; arecording unit for recording information corresponding to the rotationdirection set by the direction setting unit on said recording medium; afirst controller for controlling an arrangement of the set of panoramicimages on the basis of the information corresponding to the rotationdirection recorded on said recording medium; a display for displayingthe panoramic images arranged by said controller and for displayingediting information for editing the panoramic images; and a secondcontroller for performing an editing operation based upon the editinginformation displayed on said display, wherein the editing operationincludes: erasing a selected recorded image from the set of panoramicimages, separating the set of panoramic images into a plurality ofpanoramic image subsets determined according to a position of the erasedimage in the set, and updating the management information of theremaining images which constitute the plurality of separated panoramicimage subsets.
 12. An electronic photographing device in which imageinformation corresponding to a set of images photographed in panoramicphotographing mode can be recorded on a recording medium in a fixedsequence and wherein each image in the set includes managementinformation, said device comprising: a rotation direction setting systemfor setting information corresponding to a rotation direction of saidelectronic photographing device during the panoramic photographing ofsaid set of images; a rotation direction recording system for recordinginformation corresponding to the rotation direction set by the rotationdirection setting system on said recording medium; a first controlsystem for controlling an arrangement of the set of panoramic images onthe basis of the information corresponding to the rotation directionrecorded on said recording medium; a display system for displaying thepanoramic images arranged by said control system and for displayingediting information for editing the panoramic images; and a secondcontrol system for performing an editing operation based upon theediting information displayed on said display system, wherein theediting operation includes erasing a selected recorded image from theset of panoramic images, separating the set of panoramic images into aplurality of panoramic image subsets determined according to a positionof the erased image in the set, and updating the management informationof the remaining images which constitute the plurality of separatedpanoramic image subsets.
 13. An electronic photographing deviceaccording to claim 12, wherein the device cancels a designation that animage in one of the plurality of image subsets is a panoramic image whensaid one of the plurality of image subsets contains only one image.